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Celtic Mythology

A Ith first saw Ireland from the top of a tall watchtower in Spain. Q Why did the three kings of Ireland kill Ith A The three kings killed Ith after he praised their country because they were afraid he was plotting to overtake it himself. Q What did each of the three queens ask of the Milesians A Each queen asked that the island be named after her should the Milesians succeed in their quest to conquer Ireland. Q Why did the Danaans feel the Milesians' initial invasion was unfair A According to...

The Tuatha De Danaan arrived in Ireland on a cloud from the four great cities of fairyland. While in their homelands, they had learned the arts of poetry and science. They brought these gifts, plus great treasures from the fairy cities, to their new home. The treasures included a stone that confirmed the rightful king by roaring when he stood upon it, a sword that could never be broken, a magic spear, and a pot that could feed an army without ever going empty. After three days, the cloud on...

Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 Hants GU12 6BP For the Cunningham, Daley, and Collins clans Enslow Publishers, Inc., wishes to thank Professor Daniel Melia of the University of California Celtic Studies Program for his invaluable assistance with the pronunciation guide. Copyright 2003 by Catherine Bernard All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Celtic mythology...

Long after Cuchulainn and his followers died, a new group of heroes emerged in Ireland. In this next cycle of myths, supposedly set in the third century a.d., the central character is a man named Fionn Mac Cumaill. The Anglicized version of his name, which is slightly more well known, is Finn Mac Cool. The stories surrounding Finn and the Fianna, a band of warriors who followed Finn, are collectively called the Fenian cycle. Like Cuchulainn and the Champions of the Red Branch, Finn and the men...

In Spain, a man named Bregon built a very tall watchtower. Bregon's son, Ith, liked to climb the tower and look out over the sea. One very clear winter's day, he noticed a land he had never seen before. Ith decided he wanted to explore it further, so he set sail with ninety warriors for the strange new land. The land Ith had seen was, of course, Ireland. At that time, there were three Danaan kings Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht, and Mac Greine who ruled Ireland. As Ith landed, he noticed the three rulers...

Pwyll was ruler of Dyfed, located in the southwest corner of what is now Wales. One day, Pwyll left his capital with a group of his men to go hunting in a far-off region called Glynn Cuch. Pwyll blew his horn and released his hounds to begin the hunt. In a short time, he got separated from his companions. The lord followed the sound of his hounds. As he did so, he heard another pack of hounds, not his own, advancing toward him. At a clearing in the forest, Pwyll saw his hounds chasing the other...

Perhaps the best-known legacy that Celtic mythology has left the world is the body of literature surrounding the great King Arthur. Stories of Arthur and his famous knights have fascinated audiences for centuries. The sagas have served as the inspiration for countless poems, books, plays, and even movies. The Arthurian legends with which most people are familiar, however, bear little resemblance to the original Welsh myths. The Celtic Arthurian stories are generally considered to have...

The other tradition of Celtic mythology stems not from Irish roots, but from Welsh ones. The name Welsh was given to the British Celts by the Anglo-Saxons who first invaded the area in the fifth century. The word means foreigners, which is ironic considering the Welsh were the native inhabitants.1 Sadly, fewer stories from the Welsh tradition have survived than from that of the Irish. The majority of the Welsh literature has been preserved in two fourteenth-century manuscripts The White Book of...

Like most countries, ancient Ireland was divided into different geographical areas, in this case known as provinces. One of the more famous of these provinces is Ulster, located on the northernmost end of the island. Ulster still exists in Ireland today and comprises part of what is known as Northern Ireland. The stories surrounding this province are known collectively as the Red Branch or Ulster Cycle. The Red Branch myths were recorded sometime in the twelfth century, but it is believed that...